1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dental equipment and, more particularly, relates to improvements to dental articulators and to methods of use thereof which are employed to simulate mandibular movements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental articulators are well-known in the art and are complex mechanical devices having incisal pin and condylarfossa guides that can be set at many different angles to permit simulation of the mandibular movement so that precise dental measurements and relationships can be determined.
For example, several different types of dental articulators are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,590,487--Guichet, 3,769,708--Guichet and 3,024,640--Guichet.
The principal disadvantage of Arcon type dental articulators of the type illustrated in the foregoing patents is that the distance between the upper and lower frames of the articulator is quite large requiring unduly long and bulky dental casts to be formed to be able to extend between the two frames. Further, since the typical orthodontist has a large number of patients for whom he must keep and store dental cast, the size of the casts has a substantial impact upon the storage space required by the orthodontist. Also, a reduction in the size of the cast will reduce the amount of material necessary to form the casts thereby effectuating a significant savings of material.
Because of the significant increase in the size of the dental casts necessary for the Arcon type dental articulator, many dentists use older out-dated articulators rather than go to the expense of buying new larger storage boxes.
Thus, it would be a desirable advance in the art to provide an improvement to the widely-used Arcon type dental articulator that allows the dental casts used on that type of dental articulator to be substantially reduced in vertical dimension.